First Aid provider thinking of upgrading to CFR

[NathanLeDeaux]

Hello, My name is Nathan LeDeaux and I currently volunteer at our schools events for medical support, and am trained in first aid and CPR. Mostly i get called to remove splinters, watch over heat exhaustion victims (it is Arizona), and wash and bandage; cuts, abrasions, and burns players commonly receive in football games. However A few "freak" accidents have happened where i am essentially useless due to my lack of advanced training.

> An elderly woman fell down the bleachers and all I could do was prevent people from moving her until the EMT's arrived.

>A football player found a way to fracture his humerus and i did not want to risk removing him from the field, "i assumed spinal injuries due to the amount of force in the collision"

First of all, Did I act correctly in the above situations? Is there anything I could have done better?

And for my main question, would Certification as a first responder give me skills i would find useful in a school environment?

 

[MMiz]

First, welcome to EMTLife!

Education is always great to have. What you learn in your CFR/MFR class will definitely be put to use at school events.

If an elderly woman fell from the bleachers, as someone certified in First Aid/CPR you'd ensure she was breathing and responsive. As a Medical First Responder you'd most likely hold c-spine until EMS arrived. While you were doing that you'd do a quick patient assessment.

Even as an EMT-Basic I often feel out of place on the football field. Isn't there an athletic trainer at your middle school and high school games. As a MFR you wouldn't you most likely wouldn't be able to tell if a patient broke his or her humerus unless it was blatantly obvious. You would most likely splint and bandage, and assess the patient's vital signs.

As an EMT-Basic and teacher I've been called on to treat broken bones, seizures, syncope (fainting), hypoglycemia (oral glucose), hyperglycemia (injections), epistaxis (nose bleed), and have handed out a bandaid or two. Most of the time it was at the MFR level, and sometimes it was at the Paramedic level (injections with additional training), but I always found my training useful.

I hope that helps, and good luck!

 

[EMT11KDL]

Having the training at the CFR level would not hurt you. It would give you some of the knowledge that could help you asses and treat the patients that you might come across. It would also give you a better understanding on what the EMT and Paramedics are going to do when they get on scene, and how you can assist them if they need your help.

you didn't say much about you interest in EMS, so I am unsure if this is a path you want to pursue for a carer. If it is the CFR will get your foot in the door and give you a small aspect of what we do.